SAO: The Nine-Tailed Fox Saga- Prologue
by Shortkut
Summary: An SAO series set in an alternate timeline following the journey of Nine-Tailed Fox, one of the strongest guilds in Sword Art Online, as they fight their way through Aincrad, a world as beautiful as it is deadly. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Hopefully more coming soon.


**Prologue**

 **November 7, 2024: Floor 75 Dungeon**

The assembled players spoke to each other in tense, hushed tones, shooting nervous glances at the large double doors that led to the boss room. The musical chimes of the game menu echoed through the dimly lit antechamber as they all equipped weapons and armor and readied healing potions and buffs.

Zakira's eyes panned the room. He couldn't remember the last time so many guilds had come together for a boss fight. Most prominent of course were the silver and blue of the Divine Dragon Alliance, led by King Talon, and the scarlet and white of the Knights of the Blood Oath, commanded by Heathcliff. There was also the red and gray of Klein's guild, Fuurinkazan, and the green of the Order of the Serpent, led by Ivy, the only female guildmaster present.

And then there was Zakira's guild, the guild he had helped create, Nine-Tailed Fox. His gaze roamed across his guildmates. Eight of their best players, divided into two parties of four. Team A consisted of Rega on defense, Gabrielle on recon, Sirius on support, and Vox both commanding the squad and acting as striker. Team B consisted of Wulvar as the striker, AllieGator on recon, and Senna on support, with Zakira leading and playing the role of defense.

Nine-Tailed Fox did not require its members to wear its colors, black and gold, but Zakira saw with pride that each of his teammates had altered their outfits in some way to honor the guild. Gabrielle wore a black, tight-fitting jacket over a golden hauberk, Wulvar had donned a black headband with the guild emblem on it, and Zakira had dyed his Stoneskin Cloak black, with a golden nine-tailed fox emblazoned across the back.

Resuming his survey of the room, Zakira saw that several high level solo players had been recruited as well. He saw Kirito, The Black Swordsman, in the corner holding hands with Vice Commander "Lightning Flash" Asuna of the KOB.

 _I suppose they're together now,_ he thought with mild interest, _about time._

Even Egil the merchant had closed his shop to join the assault. A sudden thought crossed Zakira's mind.

"Hey," he murmured to Vox, "remind me to tell Egil he still owes us for that rare weapon we sold him."

Vox turned to look at him. She wore black as always, but today her hair and eyes were a brilliant gold instead of their usual magenta. She gave him a puzzled look, then she saw Egil and smiled in amusement.

"Wait until after the battle." She said. "He'll be too tired to come up with an excuse."

"After the battle…" Zakira said, his eyes wandered and fell on the heavy metal doors. "Right. Yeah."

Zakira had no clue what waited for them behind those doors. Nobody did. All they knew was a party of ten had passed through them and were never seen or heard from again. It was presumed that the boss room was an anti-teleport zone, just like the 74th Floor boss that Kirito had defeated. Some people hoped that was all there was to it, but since the 25th and the 50th Floors had introduced new mechanics in their boss fights, Zakira suspected this one would as well. Perhaps when the doors closed behind them they would be locked in, unable to retreat, forced to defeat the boss or die in the attempt.

He looked around again at his teammates. His friends. Would this be the last time he saw any of them? His hand tightened on the hilt of his broadsword. _No._ Nine-Tailed Fox wouldn't go out like that, he decided. They were among the strongest guilds in the game, and they had cleared their fair share of bosses. Maybe they didn't have the numbers of the DDA or the experience of the KOB, but they made up for it in talent.

Heathcliff stood at the front of the throng with his back to the doors and spoke. Zakira was suddenly reminded of Diabel, standing in front of the doors to the first boss room, almost two years ago. Zakira wondered if the KOB commander would meet the same fate, or if his legendary defense would save him.

"Everyone ready?" He asked. The room fell silent. No one spoke up, so he went on. "The Knights of the Blood Oath will be out in front, distracting the boss and blocking its attacks." Zakira looked at Vox, eyebrows raised. Vox rolled her eyes. Her meaning was clear. The brave and noble KOB taking charge once again. "In the meantime, the rest of you have to stay sharp, and try to figure out its attack patterns." His gray eyes rested briefly on Zakira and the rest of the NTF players, then moved on, his face as calm as always. "I won't lie, this battle will be hard. But I have faith that we can and will prevail." He raised his voice to a shout. "For our day of liberation!"

A triumphant cheer rose up from the crowd. Heathcliff turned towards the doors, tossing his cape over his shoulder.

"Yo." Vox said. Zakira turned to look at her. She grinned and held out her fist. Zakira reached out and bumped it with his own fist, then the rest of the NTF group did the same. "Good luck out there, everybody."

"Watch each other's backs." Zakira added. He locked eyes with Vox, and she nodded. The doors opened, and everyone began to charge in, yelling.

"Team A, with me!" Vox said. Vox's squad joined the charge, Zakira's squad following closely behind, little knowing that the next battle would change everything, and bring the world they had come to know to an abrupt end.


End file.
